Coronavirus: Cathay Pacific staff, Hong Kong airport workers given vaccine ultimatum, with regular testing no longer an option
- Airline says being vaccinated will be a requirement for staff entering its premises from December 1
- Airport Authority targets high-risk worker group at front lines, while also requiring all staff to get at least one dose by September 1
Regular Covid-19 testing will no longer be an option for unvaccinated Hong Kong airport employees and Cathay Pacific staff, as the city’s aviation sector seeks to ramp up protection for frontline workers through a crackdown on those who have not received jabs.
The Airport Authority on Friday said specific high-risk groups of workers would not be able to call upon negative coronavirus tests or medical exemptions from September 1, while also requiring all staff to get at least one vaccine dose.
A second dose is required by September 30, and employees would still be tested for Covid-19 every seven days. Airport and third-party staff who cannot comply face being redeployed.
Hong Kong’s largest airline, Cathay Pacific, said in a memo that only fully inoculated staff and contractors could enter its offices and buildings from December 1, while those working at the airport would have to get both jabs by October 1.
However, it did not say whether staff who refused to be vaccinated would be fired.
Airport chiefs said targeted groups under the new requirements included those handling high-risk cargo or having “unavoidable close range contact” with arrival and transfer passengers or airline crew. The rules also apply to airline and ground handling staff, as well as those involved in in-flight catering, cargo loading, and cleaning.